My Thoughts on The Republic of Jack

I will be honest with you, this is my first time reading a political satire book, in fact, I had to look up what this type of genre covered 😊. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn; trenchant wit, irony, or sarcasm used to expose and discredit vice or folly,” something I didn’t know I was missing out on before I read this book, it opened a whole new genre of books for me to read!

I love my home state and Jeffrey Kerr displays some great Texas humor that even Non-Texans will find humorous. It is easy to see that Jeffrey Kerr knows his Texas surroundings, he describes them in ways that are familiar and relaxed, making me feel apart of the audience hearing Jack speak out. I enjoyed his imaginative renderings of Texas seceding from the Union and what it might be like if that were to happen. He brought up some very good social questions surrounding such a move with practical applications. I also liked how Jeffrey Kerr kept the novel primarily centered on Austin, TX, and the inner workings of the Texas political sphere, it added much-needed believability to this almost far-fetched storyline that is not as far-fetched as it might seem.

The characters were very realistic and stereotyped in a humorously sad but true way. I think that every state has political leaders who display similar characteristics to the characters in this book. I thought both Jack and Tasha were well thought out and displayed some very big growth by the end of the story. Jack took the hard way of learning to look at a situation fully before jumping in with both feet. He had a tough go of it, but it was interesting to see all the things that could go wrong. I enjoyed the dry wit between characters, just wish there were more of it. Overall, though, I enjoyed the characters and thought they were VERY believable in their mannerisms and actions.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the interesting storyline, the great character build-up, and the look into a different political climate. The only thing I would have liked to see more of would be more humor between characters.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.